27 June 2022

The 2022 federal election saw a surge of independents elected in long term Liberal ‘safe’ seats, as the Greens tripled their number of seats in the lower house. But are voters purposefully moving away from the two major parties?

It seems the people have spoken – with issues of climate, gender and corruption driving the discussion. But is this truly a turning point in the future of politics in our country, and what does this refreshed political landscape mean for people in rural and regional Australia?

“The mainstream media was not addressing the topics that people wanted to talk about…if we look at the top five issues in the mainstream media during the course of the campaign, it didn’t mention women at all, yet social media did. And it’s no coincidence that many of the Independents were women. The issue of gender equality and gender abuse in parliament was not being addressed by the two major parties or by the mainstream media.”

– Associate Professor Andrea Carson

In this recorded panel discussion hosted by La Trobe University, Professor Nick Bisley delves into these topics with panellists Associate Professor Andrea Carson, Cathy McGowan AO, and Dr Nick Barry.